‘Only scoring from set-pieces’ is the Arsenal dream title scenario

Arsenal fans dream of some p***-boiling set-piece title action, while even a ‘procession’ would be refreshing.

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The Premier League is banging this season

As a Liverpool fan, it’s fair to say this season isn’t going brilliantly. But the Premier League as a whole? You have to say it’s pretty good. In Spain, Italy, France and Germany it’s business as usual. The current champions are top in France, Italy and Germany and in Spain it’s Real Madrid who won it two years ago. Only Roma, who are level on points with Napoli, would represent something ‘new’. However in England:

• • The team who are top, and will almost certainly win it, haven’t won the league in over 20 years.
  • They’ll be the 6th different team to win the title in the last 15 years.
  • Their closest challengers are currently Bournemouth.
  • The rest of the top 4 is made up of Tottenham and Sunderland
  • The reigning champions are in 7th and have lost 4 in a row
  • None of the newly promoted teams are in the relegation zone
  • Man United have reached the dizzying heights of 6th
  • Between 2nd and 12th there are only 6 points. In the other big European league that gap is 11, 10, 10 and 8 points.

In other words, this is looking like a very unpredictable Premier League season. Even if the title ends up being a procession, we’ll have a ‘new’ winner. Top 4/5 looks like it could be anyone’s and we are bound to have some big teams falling out of the league. Not as dull as many people would have you believe. Last year we had some similar elements of unpredictability, but the smaller teams fell away towards in the end in the Champions League push. It would be great to see a team like Bournemouth go all the way this year.
Mike, LFC, Dubai

Arsenal do have pace and urgency

Reading comments on a particular Arsenal Facebook site a particular wind-up merchant similar to a certain Arsenal ‘fan’ who writes into this site stated that Arsenal play with no pace and no urgency.

I disagree. Palace held Arsenal at bay because they are extremely organised and forced Arsenal into making a lot of unfamiliar poor passes. They were the more threatening team for the first half an hour but because of Arsenal’s defensive pace and urgency they couldn’t capitalise on the slight edge they had and so didn’t have a shot on target in that spell. And then, olé olé a set piece goal… but, a little more than just that, a classy finish by Eze.

Arsenal took more control of the game in the second half and looked like scoring another but it didn’t happen and Arsenal had to protect their goal as Palace took charge. However, Palace again still had no shot on target not just because of Arsenal’s defenders but because of all of their hard working team’s pace and urgency.

People moan about Arsenal and their set-pieces but that’s part of the game is it not? After all, Arsenal have only conceded three goals this season and two of them were from set-pieces.
Chris, Croydon

READ: Two Arsenal players in Premier League XI of the season so far

The Arsenal dream

If we are to win the league this year (and there’s a LONG way to go) I want us to win it by only scoring from set-pieces.

No more goals from open play.

If only for the oceans of p**s it would boil.
Martin from Rayleigh

…Can I have a pint of Will Ford’s salty, salty tears please?

Thanks a lot.
James

How good is Lacroix?

We were pretty ropey today and the service into Gyokeres was particularly poor but Lacroix was outstanding. Is he always that good Palace fans? Surely now worth 3 times what they paid for him.

Looking good for Arsenal but we’ll have a blip soon enough I expect.

Much love.
Simon Cochrane

Man Utd on the up but refereeing still poor

It is nice to see United finally remembering that the round thing does in fact go into the big rectangular thing. There have been some brilliant performances from men like Mbeumo, Bruno, Casemiro, Cunha and SuperBlockhead himself. Long may it continue and well done to them. Obviously it won’t last forever, we will lose some games but hopefully we won’t fall back into the recent nadirs that we’ve seen before

But to the refereeing and before there are claims of conspiracy against United, I know that refereeing has been generally pants throughout the season for multiple teams. I just don’t have much time to watch teams other than United so my views are specific to United games.

To preface I will say that the officiating in the United Liverpool game was pretty good. Overall it was decent and I have to hand it to them. You can say there weren’t any big calls to make other than the initial clattering and cries for immediate stops for a head injury but I think the ref got that right. Maybe bias but I think recently players have been gaming it a bit to stop play cynically.

But in my mind the game against Brighton had some pretty dire officiating. I’m unsure of where the defender touched the ball at all and even if he did whether it’s enough to say that he didn’t foul Amad. In the box. Either Anthony Taylor is simply the best referee in the world and saw that instantly and was ultra confident to deny the penalty but after watching him give Brighton the Welbeck free kick about fifteen feet ahead of where the ‘foul’ took place, I’m not so inclined to agree with that sentiment. His immediate No was just baffling. That looked like a penalty all day, everyday and on public holidays. If it had been given and denied by VAR I’d have still been aggrieved but not suspicious. Never ascribe to malice that which can be explained by incompetence.

And that foul had no consistency. Mbeumo was fouled in almost exactly the same fashion and no foul was given. That’s fine but then show consistency and please don’t give them a freekick that’s miles away from the foul. Again I’m not crying conspiracy but the inconsistency and incompetence is truly staggering and I think until the Prem actually gets rid or, or SERIOUSLY readjusts, Howard Webb’s PGMOL boys club and holds referees accountable for poor performances then games will constantly be plagued with this level of schoolboy refereeing in what is supposed to be the best league in the world. It is so inept that is reaching levels of farce and I say that for all the clubs in the league.
Less Disgruntled RSA

Keep AI out of the Mailbox

As much as I enjoyed the Mailbox today (United fan) it’s disappointing to see people using AI to write their contributions.

Okay for a polish maybe but Mustafa Rashid’s entire contribution looks to be written with AI.

There are telltale signs that anyone who’s familiar with wading through AI-generated copy can attest to: the overuse of the em dash, “it’s not X, it’s Y” phrasing, bombastic and unnatural setups (“and all it took was a goalkeeper”, “two words: Sanne Lammens). I’m sure there’s more examples if anyone wants to go back and read it.

I suspect he had written a post and then sent it through ChatGPT but tbh his raw honest take would have been better and more readable. We come to the mailbox to escape bots and overly polished media takes. Shame to see AI slop in the Mailbox. Did anyone else spot it?
Stuart Larkin